I have been suffering from pain in my shoulder on the same side as my bc for a couple of months. I was referred to a physio and today had my 3rd session and been told that no amount of physio will work at present as the shoulder has become frozen. I have been referred to a shoulder specialist but the physio said it was most likely caused by the radiotherapy.
Has anyone else had this problem and if so how was it sorted?
Viv x
I had a frozen shoulder 10 years ago - pre bc - but it was resolved by a series of very painful physio sessions at the London Frozen Shoulder Clinic. I’m not sure if you could have this type of treatment after surgery, but it does work.
finty x
Hi, I had frozen shoulder unrelated to BC, I had physio for a year, and it got better but there is still a residual problem with pain&tenderness. It’s the opposite side to my mx. Hope you get some relief! X
Thanks ladies for replying. I wonder why my physio has given up seeing as you both got relief with physio? Oh well I will wait and see what the ortho consultant says.
Viv x
Hi Viv,
I had a frozen shoulder between mastectomy and Rads. Was so painful I passed out. It was sorted with strong painkillers and a good physio. A bit of determination on my part with the physio exercises helped because I knew I couldn’t complete my treatment until it was resolved.
It does seem that your physio has given up too easily. Can you get a 2nd opinion?
Jan xx
I had it badly as a result of surgery and then rads but also developed lymphoedema.
I was lucky to be referred to a fantastic NHS physio very quickly and she had to sort the lymphoedema first, then the shoulder. The easing of the lymphoedema took a long time but the frozen shoulder was treated with 2 very strenuous sessions twice a week for a month. I was advised to have paracetamol before I went !!! But I was brave and didn’t…it hurt but not for long and was soooo worth it.No pain, no gain and all that ! I ended up going for almost 18 months in total.
Personally, I would advise you to go back and ask for it again. I would still be in agony with it were it not for physio.
Good luck !
Hi Viv,
Oh how i sympathise with you haveing a Frozen Shoulder, i know only too well how excruciatingly painfull they can be.
I too had a Frozen Shoulder after my Rads treatment, and my left arm at the time was pretty useless as i had very limited mobility range,i had 6 weeks of physio on my shoulder which unfortuneately didnt work for me either , i was also given anti inflammatory meds also to help, but i was eventually referred to an orthopedic surgeon who gave me 3monthly cortizone shots in my shoulder which did then give me some relief,though i still had very limited range of motion , my shoulders fine now but unfortuneately for me it took 18 mths to resolve back to near normal though my range is now prob 80% on that side.
I think i was just very unlucky also as the physio does work for some people , i know how you feel ,so big hugs to you ,i hope you get some relief soon.
My orthopedic surgeon told me there are 3 stages to a Frozen Shoulder
Phase one - the ‘freezing’, painful phase
Phase two - the ‘frozen’, stiff (or adhesive) phase.
Phase three - the ‘thawing’, recovery phase.
All the best to you
Take Care
Linda x
Viv, the physio that I had uses a very unconventional technique that he developed himself, that cured mine in about 5 sessions. I went from almost zero movement, totally locked up, to free movement with no pain. I have had the occasional twinge since when I have wrenched that shoulder a little, but it resolves in a couple days. The physio, Simeon, has people fly in from all over the world for treatment, because his method works so quickly. After each session you get about 10 - 20 degrees more movement. The only problem is there are only a few practitioners that use his technique - and I think they are all in the home counties. It isn’t the usual physio where they work on increasing movement, they simply aggravate the injury so the body responds by readjusting muscle groups and pain response - it’s explained on their website here:
frozenshoulder.com/index_a.html
If you live near enough it would be worth checking it out. In any case, I hope you get some relief, it’s a miserable condition.
finty x
Hi there
I haven’t had a frozen shoulder but a lot of shoulder pain since my surgery. I’ve been seeing an NHS physio for the past 10 months. I am appalled that your physio has given up on you.
I know that some people have had relief from specialist forms of massage too but again, as far as I know, this is around the Brighton area. I will talk to my friend who is a therapist and works with people with frozen shoulders that other health professionals have been unable to help. If you are willing to say which county you live in that would be helpful in trying to find out more.
In the short term, I wonder whether acupuncture would help you with pain. I had that as part of my physio treatment and it really did work.
I agree with Finty though re the care the physio needs to take. My first few physio treatments caused so much muscle flare up that I was in agony hence why I had to have the acupuncture and lots of co-codamol again.
Don’t give up hope, I’m sure there are still other options for you.
take care, Elinda
Just looked at the site Finty’s recommended. Very interesting as my clinical massage therapist friend uses very similar techniques such as trigger points.
Elinda - it’s amazingly effective, but very painful. He puts the point of his elbow on the spot on the shoulder where it really hurts, and then pushes with as much force as you can tolerate. I seem to have quite a high pain threshold, so was able to withstand quite long sessions - hence the very quick recovery. I know others have had to take it slower, but even so I think he gets an 80 or 90 % cure rate in 10 weeks or so (from memory - it was ages ago).
finty x
Wow it’s so interesting that different areas/physios have different approaches. I live in Cheshire so going down south for treatment is not really an option but thanks Elinda.
With regards to acupuncture I have been told by my physio (who is the lead bc physio at my hospital) that this and ultrasound (another common treatment for frozen shoulder) are both contraindicated for people who have had bc. I will report back when I have seen the ortho consultant.
Viv x
I am very surprised re the acupuncture. I saw a consultant rheumatologist about back/shoulder pain who wrote to my GP recommending physio and acupuncture. Once the physiotherapy began to trigger muscle flair, my physio contacted her manager to double check that she could commence acupuncture. If your physio is saying it is contraindicated I would want to know why. Cancer research has a section on acupuncture:
cancerhelp.org.uk/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/acupuncture#not
Obviously if anyone had lymphodema you’d want to be avoiding the arm, armpit area, chest wall etc.
Finty, your treatment sounds very similar to work my massage therapist does. He’s been treating me for my foot and achilles problem and working on pressure points in my calf muscle. It sends me through the roof but like you I’ve got a high pain threshold. He reckons about 6 sessions (or 6 weeks) for noticeable change/recovery in most conditions so again similar.
Viv - I’ll speak to my friend and see if knows anyone offering help in the Cheshire region.
Viv on the website I linked to there is free resources link on the drop down menu. There is a symptom checker which you might find useful, plus some quite good advice on things you can do for yourself.
good luck x
Hi Elinda
I do have a small amount of lymphodema in that arm so maybe thats why the acupuncture was contraindicated. With regard to ultrasound apparently this can activate any floating cancer cells!!
Viv x
I had a frozen shoulder from playing too much tennis about 4 years ago, I went to a chiropracter but it took about 4 months to get it sorted. your advice about acupunture is wrong, it is a very safe treatment after bc and is used at the Havens cancer centre.
If I were you I’d go to an osteopath, they are much more knowledgeable than physios but you will have to pay!! My experience of physio is not good
Best wishes
Well saw the ortho consultant at the beginning of this month and tomorrow I am due to have as ‘arthroscopic hydradilatation’. The frozen shoulder has been caused by the radiotherapy.
Apparently they fill the shoulder with water and steroid under a local aneasthetic and do some manipulation to hopefully break down the scar tissue. Not looking forward to this, especially so close to xmas.
Anyone else out there had this done?
Viv x